From the Makers of Tiny Tower, Pocket Trains Pulls into the Android and iOS Stations

NimbleBit took casual gaming by storm a few years ago when it released the horribly addictive game Tiny Tower. Now that same engrossing free-to-play style is back on iOS and Android with Pocket Trains.

NimbleBit took casual gaming by storm a few years ago when it released the horribly addictive game Tiny Tower. Now that same engrossing free-to-play style is back on iOS and Android with Pocket Trains. Instead of building a massive skyscraper, you build and operate your own railroad. It's a game of planning and careful time management, and it's probably going to steal at least a few hours of your time.

You begin Pocket Trains with a pair of engines and a few jobs. The basics of the gameplay are simple—you check out the jobs available for each train, take the contract, and send them on their way. The catch is that you can only have one train on each section of track (wouldn't want any accidents, after all). You'll have to keep an increasing number of trains moving by building new tracks and getting bigger jobs to pay for it all.

Along the way you will be rewarded with special crates containing various goodies. Sometimes that will be new engine parts, which can be used to get more trains up and running, and eventually to build faster trains. Most of the things you do in Pocket Trains, including building new trains and tracks, costs gold, which you can earn quite a bit of. The other currency in Pocket Trains is "Bux," and this is harder to come by.

As you complete more jobs, you gain experience and level up, and that gets you a few Bux to keep you going. You can trade Bux for gold, or use it to hurry a train along to its destination faster. That's useful when you need to clear the track or just don't feel like waiting. You can buy large bundles of Bux for real world money.

This game also runs in the background when you're not playing, just like Tiny Tower. That's a fun aspect because you can set up several long routes and go about your business. When you check back, Pocket Trains will tell you what happened. No fooling—this game is addictive, and it's free, so watch out.

About the Author

Ryan Whitwam is a freelance tech/science writer and fan of all things electronic. This long-time skeptic and former research scientist is a lover of the em dash and a defender of the Oxford comma. He also writes for Geek.com and ExtremeTech.
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